On Solid Ground
by guefus52
Summary: Quistis @ age 25, and married to Irvine
1. Sand and the sea

Hide and seek and spagetteo's  
  
  
I do not own FF8(c) but do however, this document. Do not copy or steal exact ideas.   
  
  
The room was dark. Quistis, now 25, played next to her husband. Irvine, at age 24, sat there sound asleep. The radio, still playing country music, was on the bedside table. A dog played motionlessly on the foot of their bed. In the next room, a small 2 year old boy slept through the night. Such a happy family, but Quistis couldn't sleep. She stared up at the fan, mouthing the words to the song. Thinking of how she knew the words, but never recalled hearing the song, she remembered her 15 years at the orphanage.....  
  
(she closes her eyes, and memories play)  
  
  
Her, a small 7 year old self, sat in the sand. She wore her chocobo pajamas, and her cataur top. She was the only one up at this time in the morning. Grasping a twig in her hand, she wrote "Q+I" into the moist sand.   
  
"HEY!! Quistie!!" Irvine yelled, on the hill just above the beach. Quistis got to her feet instantly, and rubbed out her note.   
"Wut'cha doin'?" He asked.  
"noufing" she replied, smiling.   
One of her teeth was missing, knocked out by Siefer that very night. Irvine grasped his hat, and jumped down on the beach with her. He walked over to a big rock the children would sit in at sunset. At the foot of it was a huge block of wood. Irvine and Quistis pulled it off, to reveal a hole.   
"this is where Zewl keeps all za toys" He explained.   
Soon, Selphie joined them. Zell was at the end of the beach, firing off explosives. Siefer snuck up on Irvine and snatched his hat.   
"Hey!! Give that bwak!" He shouted. Irvine made several tries to grab it back, but Siefer was much taller than the small coy boy. Once by the waters edge, Siefer shoved Irvine onto his butt, into the ice cold surf. Irvine wiled until Ellone came, and picked him up. She scolded Siefer, and he had to stay in his bunk till dinner.   
"Kids!" Called Cid "Time to eat!"   
The kids, all filthy, raced up the path to the orphanage. 7 bowls of hot soup lined the table. They wolfed down the warm spagetteo's and went off to play.   
They ran to the lighthouse. Selphie jerked on the door. It was locked.  
Irvine ran around the building, and found a window. He helped the girls up, and then Zell, before he got in. Irvine tumbled to the floor, and hit his head on a barrel.   
They played rock paper scissors over who was going to be it at hide and seek. First it was Zell and Selphie, and Quistis and Irvine. Irvine and Zell both lost, now facing each other. Winner got to hide, loser had to seek. 3 smacks, and Zell pulled a rock, Irvine, a paper.   
"2 outta 3" Zell cried sadly  
"Fwine" Irvine said with a smile  
Zell always used rock first. This time Irvine pulled a scissors. This was winning, or losing point. Zell pulled a paper, as did Irvine, so one more try. The girls sat quietly, watching them earlier. Everything replayed in slow motion in Quistis's head. Finally, Zell hit a scissors, and Irvine a rock.  
Zell groaned, then started to count. Irvine couldn't find a spot quick enough, so he darted behind a barrel. There was a clear spot, and the only spot the light hit. Irvine would have to move past to get to the better hiding spot. He got down, and in rolling position. If he got lucky, he'd make it. Taking a deep breath, he rolled. The floorboards creaked. Not under only Irvine, but Zell as well. Irvine made it. He turned, and hit something. It wasn't solid, and warm.  
"Who's there" He whispered softly.   
An arm moved, and a watch caught the sun light. Quistis's watch.   
"gotcha!" Zell yelled.  
Irvine and Quistis looked up; Selphie groaned. Irvine got to his knee, and looked at home base. He motioned it was safe. Then they saw Zell's shadow on the wall. They heard the footsteps get softer, and started to crawl. Once back on the other side of the light, they both called home free. It was now a race of time to get there. Irvine tripped, feet short of the barrel marking home. Zell didn't see him, till after Irvine got up. Quistis had made it. Irvine lunged at the base, and tagged it, announcing that fact with a thud. They talked and laughed, and played games. Zell dared the others to play spin the bottle, with a wine bottle  
"your twrn Irvine" Quistis said.  
Irvine gulped, and spun the bottle. It went around in circles and stopped between Zell and Quistis.  
"Play wok papwer swicors" Selphie butted in before they could decide.   
Quistis beat him easily, and Irvine was about to peck her cheek, when they heard Cid angrily calling. Selphie unlocked the door, and let them out. They ran happily until they got to the bay. Cid held a burnt rocket in his hands. The children had lined up.   
"whose rocket it this?" He asked  
"it waz Seifwrs" Selphie said.  
"oh thank you" Cid said then with a smile.  
The group sat on the beach, tired.   
"EWWWWWWWW" Selphie cried, taking a stick, and ripping a dried spagetteo off Zell's cheek.   
"YUK!" Quistis and Zell both said.   
Something came in the tide. Irvine, paying no attention to the fuss, got up to examine the glittering prize. He grabbed it, and put it in his pocket. A aquamarine ring. With a small chocobo feather sticking to the back of it. He looked over at the heard of chocobo nesting by the orphanage. They all went it, ate all there pizza, and went to play. They had to be quiet, because Siefer was sleeping and Squall didn't fee good. Quistis and Selphie played dress up while Irvine pondered about the ring.  
Selphie hit play on her tiny radio, and a song played. The song Quistis was singing. Selphie sung Lovely. Zell was playing Zelda, and he looked up to see what was happening. Ellone was spooning Pepto Bizmol to Squalls tiny, helpless mouth, with the help of Matron, who was holding the squirt down. The sun had started to set. Irvine looked out his bedroom window, and saw the nesting Chocobo's, about to sleep. He would get lessons soon on how to ride.   
He turned around, and faced a wall. Covering himself with his green covers, he saw a kitten walk in. The kitten was only a few weeks old, and wandered from its mother and warm bed, to spend night with its friend in the little cowboy hat... 


	2. the chocobo gun fight

The sun shone brightly. It was a new day.  
"Very few grey clouds remained in the sky. A perfect day for chocobo riding" Irvine thought.   
The rest were asleep. Cid would be up, and ready to teach, if Irvine was ready to learn. Later on, Elone had promised to teach Irvine how to shoot a pistol.   
"Moring kiddo" Cid called from the dining table, mouth half full with pancakes.   
"M'nig Cid" He replied, launching himself onto the bar stool the the kichen counter. Elone placed a box of Coco Puffs infront of Irvine, following with a bowl, spoon and milk. He proudly fixed his breakfast and scarfed it down. By the time the cowboy-in-training was done, Cid was still sippinghis morning coffe, and reading the sports section of the local newspaper.   
"CCIIIDD....c...can....we go...YET?" Irvine questioned, tugging on the old man's pajama sleve.   
"In a minute, irvine, i gotta get my pj's off, and ready fora fall or two" He repied, "You should too"  
"I'm not gonna fall" Irvine persisted  
Cid rolled his eyes, placed the paper down, and walked up the steps to his room. Irvine put his head down and waited. The kitten brushed up adainst Irvine's old ratty pair of jeans. All was silent, besides the kttens low purr, untill Zell came in the room. He held a small yellow button, the one to the butt of his pjs, that had came off during the night. He placed it in Elone's palm, and ran back upstairs to change, almost knocking Cid down. This was the first time Irvine, or any of his friends, had ever seen Cid in a black cowboy outfit. 


End file.
